Housekeeping: What's Happened, What's Happening (Go Birds!)

"I need some good news" - Shaboozey

I started my morning with a beautiful essay by

Suleika Jaouad

(and a prompt from Jon Batiste) over on

The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad

, about creative opportunities, love, metamorphosis, and how we find our way back to our art. Her writing was a most beautiful way to begin this day. I recommend, wherever you are, that you do the same.

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Live Q&A

I’ll be joining Narratively for a live Q&A via the Substack app this Wednesday at 1pm ET. You’ll need to have the app downloaded to tune in, but for anyone who plans on joining, we’ll be taking questions! I’ll talk a little bit about my recent piece with them, Carolyn’s cancer years, where my family is now (and how we’re doing), and what’s next for us.

Carolyn will be in school, so she won’t be joining me, but she has given me some key points to be sure I cover (I’m expected to work in that her cat, Sally, is the cutest cat in the world. Wish me luck.)

To be clear, she actually *is* the cutest cat in the world, just like every other cat on the planet. All cats tied for first imo.

If you haven’t had a chance to read my essay about trying (and failing) to hold it together during cancer/COVID, it’s available here:

I Was the World’s Worst Cancer Mom

Later this month I’ll share a full breakdown of what it took to get this piece off the ground, from pitch conception and several (many!) rejections, to eventual acceptance, outline, draft, and finally a published book-adjacent piece— one I’m wildly proud of.

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Last Week in Writing

I don’t have control over external editorial calendars so sometimes I have weeks when many things are published at the same time. Last week was one of those weeks!

I can’t believe I published a piece with McSweeney’s.

An Open Letter to the Old Man Who Bartered with My Cancer-Patient Daughter at the Community Yard Sale Fundraiser, McSweeney’s

The Cost of Distrust: How RFK Jr.’s Leadership Threatens Families Like Mine, Ms. Magazine

When Your Child Has Cancer, Every Day is World Mental Health Day, Inspire the Mind

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News from the ‘Stack

Sammi LaBue

is next up in my Instrument, Surface, Setting, Story series, which will go live early this week. I’m such a huge fan of Sammi’s work and I can’t wait to share her interview with all of you.

I also have an essay going up this week about seeing The Wild Robot with Carolyn last year and everything it prompted me to consider about my own motherhood.

Anna Rose

and I got to chat on

The Burnout Rebellion

podcast about burning out while trying to care for someone else and holding ourselves with grace. I can’t tell you how lovely it was to talk to Anna, and what a thrill it is to be a small part of the work she’s doing. Give it a listen, and then give her a follow + subscribe:

Parenting in the storm: Talking faith, motherhood and the systems that fail us with Elizabeth Austin

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I have a Q&A going live later this week with

Parents Who Think

for their Parents That Write column! I jumped up and down when Danusia sent over the questions and I’m excited to be able to share my answers with all of you.

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My friend

Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA

wrote about the West Texas Measles Outbreak over on

Poppies & Propofol

(and was kind enough to quote my Ms. Magazine piece.) It lays out the relationship between low vaccination rates, easy exemptions, and rising rates of disease.

West Texas Measles Outbreak

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Victoria

over at

Carer Mentor: Empathy & Inspiration

put together a Cancer Anthology for World Cancer Day and I’m honored to be included. Please check out all of the listings— there’s a table of contents!— and give the contributors a follow. They’re each sharing vital perspectives on an experience that has or will, at one point, impact almost all of us.

iCARE: The Cancer Anthology

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All that said, it was kind-of a week over here. It’s enough to fill a book (or at least a long-form essay.) To quote Shaboozey, I need some good news.

In the spirit of Eagles juju, please drop your recent wins into the comments. I’d love to be inundated with other peoples’ good news— all the ways we’re showing up while the world feels like it’s falling apart.

Gimme your good news! Go Birds!